Thursday, October 28, 2010

Arches National Park near Moab, Utah

Today we went to Arches National Park. I wanted to do two walks

Delicate Arch Trail

This moderately strenuous trail begins near the Wolfe Ranch cabin, crosses a bridge over Salt Wash, and continues up the long stretch of open slickrock to Delicate Arch. The trail also winds through an area full of chert – a hard, shiny rock used by Native Americans for tools and weapons – and around a short ledge, hugging a steep cliff.

Teri Made the TRIP!!!!!!!!!!

Trail to Landscape Arch

We took the hike between the tall sandstone fins to the Devils Garden to see Landscape Arch, perhaps the world’s longest.

The complete Devils Garden trail, including side spurs and the Primitive Loop, is the longest hike on maintained trails in Arches, about 7.2 miles. Most people, however, choose the two-mile out-and-back option, i.e., stroll down the "super-trail" (flat, easy, double-wide, and crowded) to Landscape, relax under the mysteriously suspended ribbon of stone, then stroll on back to the Honda. We took the two mile out and back option.

Trail head.

Landscape Arch:

The span is 306 feet long.

On Sept. 1, 1991 a 60 foot long rock slab peeled away from the arch’s right side. When the dust settled, 180 tons of fresh rock debris lay scattered on the ground.